Dear Supporters,

I am writing to provide an update on the incident report I received from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regarding the chemical spill that occurred on March 24th and 25th, 2023. I wanted to share with you the key findings of the report:

• 11:56pm Friday 3/24/23: The active spill was reported to PA DEP.
• 12am Saturday 3/25/23: Responders arrive on scene to assess the incident. Trinseo and Dow personnel upon discovery of the spill, attempted to block the flow. The DEP worked to make them aware of the extent of the problem and their need to hire vac trucks and cleanup contractors to mitigate the release.
• 1:20am: The DEP made a high priority Delaware Valley Early Warning System notification to downstream users.
• 2am: The Bucks County Hazmat Team was requested to install a plug in the outfall pipe to the creek. The chemicals were leaking from a pipe that had burst on the roof, which flowed down rain downspouts and overflowed the curb containment and went into a storm drain near the building which goes to a large skim pit, which then flowed through a pipe to a box where the outfall to the creek occurred and where the plug was requested. The photos pictured shows the broken pipe on the roof, and the creek which turned white due to the active chemical spill.
• 3:55am: The plug was installed which slowed the flow to a trickle, but as material built up in the containment prior to out fall, the flow increased.
• 4:36am: Water samples were collected by DEP.
• 4:45am: The DEP responder was notified by Trinseo that someone from the environmental clean up contractor company will be out in 2 hours. The DEP responder advised that response time was not satisfactory and needs to be reviewed. 
• 5am: Philadelphia Water Department shut the intake down.
• 7am: The US EPA and PA Fish and Boat Commission arrive on scene and speak with Dow. Dow was advised that they need to provide response contractors with vac trucks since they are the permit holder of the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit to discharge to the creek. Wildlife Control Operator (WCO) Michael Blair observed Trinseo Site leader Thomas "Chad" Walker to be getting ready to leave the business. The name and contact information for someone higher in authority within Trinseo was requested. Walker responded he didn't know if he was authorized to give out that information to the DEP or PA Fish and Boat Commission. WCO Blair placed emphasis on how the response was inadequate due to the delays. Mr. Walker went back into the building to make additional calls. 
• 7:45am: Mr. Walker contacts corporate.
• 9:20am: Mr. Walker emphasized repeatedly he is the authority on-site. The seriousness of the issue and how it needs to be elevated was explained to Mr. Walker. The company needs to have a plan with objectives and hire an environmental consultant.
• 9:28am:  Chad Walker reported that product transfer began about 9:30pm Friday night. The area where the pipe broke may be monitored by a camera, but the cameras do not record video. They just allow for live feed viewing in the control room. Mr. Walker was questioned whether anyone had been monitoring cameras in the control room. No answer was provided. Dow was contacted and reported a vac truck would be onsite between 9:30am and 10am. Trinseo reported another truck to be onsite by 10am. Both trucks were placed into service. Both companies were told to continue mobilizing resources as two vac trucks would not be adequate. The US Coast Guard, US EPA, and PA DEP met in the parking lot to discuss alternatives. US Coast Guard advised it would be their jurisdiction if the case were federalized and that a virtual RRT meeting needed to be scheduled to discuss their response prior to any action being taken.
• 12pm RRT Meeting occurs.
• 1:00pm: EPA observed the outfall which was continuing to seep white liquid around the plug and from a crack in the concrete headwall. Trinseo Vice President Tim Thomas arrived on site. He reported his personnel had difficulty overnight getting contractors onsite, but additional equipment and personnel were en route. Note: At this moment, chemicals are still actively seeping into the creek which is 13 hours after it had been reported.
• 2:00pm: The first unified command update meeting with Trinseo, Dow, and the US Coast Guard occurs. Plans for additional contractor resources reviewed. US Coast Guard contractor mobilized along the creek to try to manage downstream migration.
• 11:50pm: After several failed attempts, the discharge was stopped just before midnight.

I want to express my gratitude to the first responders from all agencies who helped with the cleanup efforts. As we continue to learn more about this event and the circumstances that led to this disaster, I kindly ask for your support in sharing our petition with your friends, family, and anyone else who may have been impacted by this incident. Together, we can continue to raise awareness about this critical issue and make a meaningful difference.

Sincerely,
Sarah Hassinger